Life is Like a Journey – Chapter 64
by Little PandaVolume 2: Inheritance
Distance
The mysteries of tumors that humans have glimpsed are merely the tip of the iceberg
The night was deep, and a colleague was sleeping in the office. Yu Gui took her book and ran to the corridor. She sat down on the stairs, spread the book on her knees with a piece of pigskin on top, and practiced suturing with a needle holder under the dim wall light.
Although Lu Qingshi didn’t care about her ranking, and her bottom-place results wouldn’t affect her, she still inexplicably wanted to prove a point. Mainly, she wanted to prove to those who looked down on her that women could also work in the emergency department, and not be any worse than others.
Lu Qingshi was an exception at Renji Medical University, and she wanted to become another exception.
Xu Qiankun’s face with the expression of “you can’t do it, just be a vase” could make her vomit from disgust.
Yu Gui, holding back her anger, forcefully pushed the needle into the pigskin, then pulled it out and quickly tied a knot.
Lu Qingshi passed by with a can of coffee in hand and said, “You stitched it wrong.”
…
Yu Gui pressed her lips tightly, feeling agitated after leaving Xu Qiankun’s office.
“Is this how you’re preparing for the competition?”
Yu Gui put down the needle holder dejectedly and covered her face with her hands: “I don’t think I’ll end up at the very bottom, at least⦔
In fact, Yu Gui’s foundational knowledge was very solid, but her temperament was too impulsive. She was easily influenced by external factors, disturbing her own judgment. This was partly due to her personality and partly due to the deeply buried inferiority complex in her heart.
The fact that she could stand here actually proved her excellence to some extent.
“Is that all?”
Yu Gui raised her eyes to look at her: “What else then?”
“I think you could aim for the top three,” the doctor said calmly, one hand in her white coat pocket, taking a sip of coffee.
Yu Gui sprang up, the book falling from her lap, her eyes brimming with immense joy: “Really?!”
Although Lu Qingshi wasn’t a judge, she represented the highest level of medical skill. Getting her approval was more delightful than anything else.
“That’s assuming you perform normally,” Lu Qingshi glanced at her, noting her clumsy manner. She wondered if she had praised her too soon.
Yu Gui clenched her fists, her eyes shining with determination: “I’ll do my best!
Lu Qingshi remained noncommittal. She took a few steps, and Yu Gui caught up with her: “Teacher Lu, are you really not interested in the nanoknife? Wu Xinyuan’s surgery was very successful⦔
“I was playing with nanoknives when you were still nowhere to be found,” Lu Qingshi turned to look at her. “There’s no such thing as an absolutely successful surgery. What humans have discovered about tumors is just the tip of the iceberg.”
It wasn’t until many years later, after dealing with various difficult and complicated cases, that Yu Gui truly understood the meaning of Lu Qingshi’s words that day.
There are no absolutely successful surgeries, nor are there absolutely curable diseases. Most of the time, what doctors can do is only to create the best possible chance for patients to survive.
With a spinal cord injury, only able to move his neck, Ci’ertou (LP: I forgot to say, this is troublemaker… which is actually “Prickly Head”, I’ll re-translated previous chapters in the future) had been staring at the ceiling since he woke up, refusing to eat or drink. No one could persuade him, so the doctors could only maintain his daily energy needs through intravenous nutrition.
“Creakβ” The door was pushed open. Leather shoes stepped silently on the floor as Gu Yanzhi walked to his bedside.
She still called him by his nickname: “Ci’ertou⦔
He stiffly turned his head a little. His neck was fixed and he couldn’t move much or speak. But the moment he saw her, his lips quivered, and his eyes reddened slightly.
“We’ve come to see you.”
More than a dozen firefighters in military uniforms crowded the hospital room, each holding a bouquet of fresh flowers, saluting him one by one.
“Comrade Li Xiang, get well soon!”
“Li Xiang, come back soon so we can drink together.”
“Ci’ertou, we haven’t settled the score from last time’s martial arts competition. Hurry back so we can have another match.”
“Ci’ertou, I’m not used to the dormitory without your snoring. Come back soon.”
“If you don’t come back soon, we’ll finish all the snacks you’ve hidden in the dorm, including that bottle of Lao Baigan⦔ LΗo BΓ‘i GΔn, a type of strong Chinese liquor)
Gu Yanzhi also stood up. Today she was wearing the spring and autumn service uniform, the usual deep flame blue color, with a tie and a sash across her chest. The metal badge on her chest gleamed in the sunlight.
With her hand raised to her temple in a crisp salute, Gu Yanzhi took off her hat and paid her respects: “Comrade Li Xiang, on behalf of all officers and soldiers of the Jinzhou Fire Brigade, I sincerely hope for your speedy recovery, so you can fight alongside us again!”
Everyone knew that encouragement sometimes could only be encouragement, without any substantial effect. But after everyone left, Gu Yanzhi still stayed behind.
“I know you can’t speak now, just listen quietly. Ci’ertou, your parents are on their way. They’re already heartbroken about your accident, and seeing you torturing yourself by not eating or drinking will only make them more upset. Think about those we couldn’t save, who died without anyone knowing where. Being alive itself is a kind of luck⦔
Gu Yanzhi’s hand clenched into a fist on the bed sheet: “Of course, I’m not trying to absolve myselfβ¦ These days, I’ve thought countless timesβ¦ how much better it would be if I were the one injured⦔
“If only I could have run a bit fasterβ¦ if only I were more capableβ¦ maybe⦔
The usually strong fire brigade instructor, facing her former comrade-in-arms who now could only lie motionless in bed, silently reddened her eyes, tears falling on the back of her hand.
Ci’ertou slowly opened his mouth, his voice unrecognizably hoarse: “Captainβ¦ I don’t blame youβ¦ Thank you⦔
If it weren’t for her, he would still be a slacking soldier. Her beating had shown him what true strength was, giving him a direction to pursue. Since then, his life had become meaningful.
As she came out of the hospital room, Gu Yanzhi was about to find Ci’ertou’s attending physician to understand the situation better when she saw a doctor in a white coat leading several young attending physicians on their rounds.
The group walked and talked. Lu Qingshi had her hair tied up, her makeup clean and fresh. Under her white coat was a green scrub suit. Even in white soft-soled shoes, she was half a head taller than others. An expensive quartz watch on her wrist added a touch of elegance.
Her gaze couldn’t help but linger on Lu Qingshi. With only one path in the corridor, they were bound to brush past each other, whether Lu Qingshi was making rounds or she was heading to the doctor’s office.
Before the person arrived, the scent did. As that faint smell of men’s cologne entered her nostrils, Gu Yanzhi’s throat moved slightly.
“Qing⦔
The other’s gaze swept over her shoulder without a ripple: “Make way.”
She stepped back, watching her pass by expressionlessly.
“Stop the medication for bed 13, schedule another CT for bed 5 this afternoon. Oh, and the patient in bed 7 has a slight fever, observe and do a blood test⦔ Lu Qingshi handed the medical records to Yu Gui. Yu Gui was taken aback, feeling oddly that her teacher had become more talkative since just now, as if these weren’t instructions she had already given once beforeβ¦
“Why do you have time to see me lately? Not going to find your Qingshi?” During the lunch break, Gu Yanzhi bought two boxed meals and sat on the hospital chairs with Qin Xuan, eating intermittently.
Gu Yanzhi put a piece of spare rib in her mouth, chewing it over and over, finding it tasteless: “Just came from seeing Ci’ertou, thought I’d have a meal with you while I’m here.”
Qin Xuan smacked her lips: “You must have hit a wall with Lu Qingshi, so you’re settling for me as a second choice. I’m just a spare tire.”
Her sarcastic tone, coupled with exaggerated gestures and expressions, made Gu Yanzhi laugh despite her mood.
“You wouldn’t even qualify as a spare tire.”
“But seriously,” Qin Xuan poked at the rice grains in her bowl, suddenly becoming serious. “You should just admire Lu Qingshi from afar. At most, be casual friends. Don’t get too close or emotionally involved. It’s better for both of you.”
Smart people know when to stop talking, and she believed Gu Yanzhi understood her meaning.
Gu Yanzhi smiled, picking at the meat in her boxed meal: “Is it that obvious? Even you noticed⦔
Qin Xuan rolled her eyes: “Even if I had 500-degree myopia plus glaucoma and cataracts, I’d still be blinded by the light of your love.”
Gu Yanzhi was silent for a moment: “She wasn’t like this before in school, was she?”
“No, back then she was a sunny goddess,” Qin Xuan recalled her first year when Lu Qingshi, as a senior student, welcomed newcomers at the school gate. She wasn’t different from ordinary girls – ponytail, clean school uniform, tights, a refreshing smile, as she took the luggage from her hand.
“Here, let me help you with that, classmate.”
What could have turned such a cheerful and lively person into what she is now?
Later, she only heard about Lu Qingshi’s story. She knew that Lu Qingshi had fallen in love with a top student from the same department. The two of them swept all the scholarships each semester. Later, they went to Japan together as exchange students, and after returning to China, they directly entered the thoracic surgery department of Xiehe Hospital.
The first half of Lu Qingshi’s life was what teachers and parents referred to as “other people’s children” (a phrase used to describe exemplary children). Even after she graduated, Xiehe Medical School often used her story in graduation speeches.
Qin Xuan had heard about it too, but she felt that Lu Qingshi’s life seemed a bit unreal. The later meteoric rise followed by a hard fall proved her suspicions.
Overnight, she fell from being Xiehe Hospital’s most renowned genius doctor to a vilified executioner entangled in lawsuits. Her medical license was suspended for two years, forcing her to go abroad. Even so, she didn’t give up her profession as a doctor, which was admirable.
“I want to know, what exactly happened to her back then?”
Qin Xuan shook her head: “I’m not sure about that. Her information is still taboo at Peking Medical Third Hospital. That incident caused quite a stir back then. It must have been someone in high places who suppressed it. Otherwise, do you think she could still practice medicine now? An ordinary person would have had their medical license revoked long ago.”
“Alright, time’s up.”
At two in the afternoon, the monthly intern competition ended.
When Yu Gui put the needle holder back into the tray, she had the grace of a swordsman sheathing their sword. She looked up at the wall clock and let out a long breath.
The supervising doctor came over to record the scores, nodding at her to indicate she did well.
Yu Gui felt her heart overflowing with joy and returned a smile.
The top three would receive a cash reward of 2,000 yuan. She could use this money to visit Zhiyou in Zengcheng during her vacation.
Just thinking about this, if she weren’t in the simulated operating room, she would have been dancing with joy.
The results were handed to the chief examiner. Xu Qiankun left the room with a thick stack of white papers, glancing at the elated Yu Gui before leaving.
The doctor, still immersed in joy, didn’t realize that danger was already quietly approaching.
“Come on, baby, don’t cry. Let auntie take a look. Open wide β Ah β”
Yu Gui withdrew the penlight and quickly wrote out an examination form: “It’s just a common tonsil inflammation⦔
Before she could finish, the patient’s family member started shouting: “What do you mean ‘common’? My son has been coughing for a week! If it were common, why would we come to the emergency room? Really, you’re so young, your whiskers haven’t even grown in (an expression implying someone is inexperienced). You’re clearly a quack! Go away, get us an expert!”
“But you registered for a regular consultation⦔ Yu Gui said, feeling wronged. “Besides, this kind of illness can be treated in outpatient care. The emergency room is only for⦔
Another spray of saliva flew onto her face: “F*ck you! What do you mean? You think we can’t afford to see a specialist? Let me tell you, my family has plenty of money! Aren’t you doctors just in the service industry?! It’s none of your business whether I want to see emergency or outpatient care⦔
As the patient’s family member was about to raise their arm to hit her, the head nurse quickly rushed over to mediate: “How about thisβ¦ our specialists have all gone off duty now. Let’s transfer you to pediatrics. You can take this and go directly to pediatrics without registering again⦔
After much persuasion, they finally managed to send the person away. Such incidents were a common occurrence almost every day. Yu Gui let out a sigh of relief, took off her badge, and collapsed onto the desk, ready to end her shift.
As she came out of the hospital’s main entrance after changing her clothes, a big Benz (a colloquial term for a Mercedes-Benz) stopped in front of her. Xu Qiankun rolled down the window and handed her the results sheet from the passenger seat.
“Dr. Yu, your evaluation results are out. Interested in taking a look?”
With just a glance, Yu Gui was so angry that her whole body trembled. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Director Xu, what do you mean by this?”
“Nothing much. I quite admire you. Let’s have dinner and sing some karaoke together.”
Xu Qiankun opened the car door for her.
uuuhhhπ€’. Heβs such a creep.
canβt believe heβs a doctor